How Anel Ahmedhodzic got on during his debut for Feyenoord after Sheffield United exit | OneFootball

The defender recently exited Sheffield United after three years

Anel Ahmedhodzic completed a move away from Sheffield United this week to sign for Dutch side Feyenoord - and he was quickly thrust into action by the Dutch outfit this week in the UEFA Champions League.

It was revealed by the Star that Ruben Selles and co had pocketed £7 million from the sale, with a number of add-ons and a sell-on clause.

Ahmedhodzic joined the Blades in 2022 for a fee of €4.5 million and was a key cog in their team ever since, with his inspired performances ultimately attracting the attention of Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie.

The 26-year-old was thrown straight into the Eredivisie outfit’s starting 11 for a Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahçe on Wednesday evening - a match in which he was on the winning side of.

Following the match, Football League World have taken a deep dive into how the defender got on in his first 90 minutes for Feyenoord.

Anel Ahmedhodzic impresses on Feyenoord debut

Van Persie showed how highly he values Ahmedhodzic by starting him immediately, in what was a key Champions League clash.

Partnered alongside Tsuyoshi Watanabe in the heart of defence, the towering centre-back made his physical presence felt, winning three aerial duels during the contest.

A key attribute for a modern-day defender is comfort on the ball, and Ahmedhodzic displayed that in abundance against Fenerbahçe.

A long ball accuracy of 100% is exactly what Van Persie would’ve been looking for from his new recruit, a crucial trait which allows teams to break quickly and catch their opposition napping.

A passing accuracy of 87.1% highlights how tidy the defender was when keeping hold of possession, which allowed Feyenoord to recycle the ball and patiently wait to cut open Jose Mourinho’s side.

One tackle and interception showed that the 26-year-old was keen to step in and showcase his defensive capabilities, which alongside his obvious technical talent, made for quite an impressive debut.

However, his first match wasn’t perfect, as Ahmedhodzic cleared a shot into the path of Sofyan Amrabat, who subsequently struck home to equalise proceedings.

This went down as an error directly leading to a goal, which isn’t what the centre-back would’ve been hoping for on his maiden appearance for the Dutch outfit.

The former Blades defender was bailed out minutes later though, by teammate Anis Hadj Moussa, who scored in stoppage time to give Feyenoord a 2-1 victory.

Most importantly, Ahmedhodzic slotted into defence comfortably alongside Watanabe and helped accommodate full-backs Jordan Lotomba and Jordan Bos throughout the contest.

Anel Ahmedhodzic reacts to Feyenoord debut via social media

Ahmedhodzic is clearly loving life following his Sheffield United exit and was keen to express this positive mood following his debut for Feyenoord.

Sharing his thoughts via Instagram, the centre-back captioned his post: “What a week. Absolutely loved it in my debut, the atmosphere was crazy. Good win but we’re only halfway. See you all Saturday.”

The comments were full of adoring Feyenoord supporters, delighted with how their new signing had performed.

Based on his debut, it looks like the former Blade has a lot to look forward to with his new employers throughout the 2025/26 campaign.